Vatican feels 'shame and sorrow' after clergy sex abuse report

'Pope is on victims' side' says Holy See

(ANSA) - August 17 - An investigation into priests who raped minors in Pennsylvania has once again shaken both the Catholic Church and the Vatican, which on Thursday commented on the issue and said that it felt "shame and sorrow" over the "horrible crimes". After the publication on Tuesday of a detailed grand jury investigation into abuse in the state over a 70-year period, a statement said that "the Holy See condemns unequivocally the sexual abuse of minors". "There are two words that can express the feelings faced with these horrible crimes: shame and sorrow," said the statement by Greg Burke, the director of the Holy See press office. He said that the "abuses described in the report are criminal and morally reprehensible. Those acts were betrayals of trust that robbed survivors of their dignity and their faith. The church must learn hard lessons from its past, and there should be accountability for both abusers and those who permitted abuse to occur". The statement added that the Holy See is taking the report and work done by the grand jury very seriously and that the pope "is on the side of the victims".